LIFE IS never at a standstill especially since society by its very nature is dynamic. Every new generation heralds a new nation (as wrote Thomas Jefferson), especially as the youth redefine older ways. Thoughts such as these are important this month as we look at the Telangana issue. Will aspirations of the Telanga people find sufficient expression in a new state? Is Telangana an imminent reality? We get into the crux of what being an Indian mean; focusing on the Telangana debate both in our Issue and Platform section, probing the efficacy of claims being made. We also carried on the desi theme by abandoning an international destination in favour of a national one.
Finally, for our cover we spoke to an Indian phenomenon. He is the most ubiquitous man I have ever met. I spot him everywhere—in the metro and on the streets. I see him on the sidewalks of Connaught Place, on the posh shelves in Bahri Sons and Cafe Turtle, and in the Sunday book markets of Daryaganj, casually resting next to Ayn Rand, Adolf Hitler, and occasionally, a Lance Armstrong. I must confess; I have never really met him. However, I have neither been able to escape his creations.
You must have figured out by now that I am talking of a particularly prolific man. If I think of it, I cannot quite remember when India produced someone as unique as Chetan Bhagat. Well, not in a long, long time. In 2011, his novel Revolution 2020 sold 600,000 copies to retailers in a single day. He has, literally and single-handedly, changed the fiction publishing game in India. Bhagat’s fans is a demographic which includes people across regions, age groups, and educational qualifications. His novels have sold six million copies overall, and an uncountable amount of pirated copies have proliferated in semi-urban and urban centres. His popularity among his loyal fans is rivalled only by the deep dislike he seems to provoke among India’s intelligentsia. When I asked around in my office, there were only a handful of editors who had actually read a Chetan Bhagat novel. Yet, most seemed to have an opinion on the “way he wrote”. My interest in him resulted in furrowed brows.
Love him or hate him, is there any escaping Chetan Bhagat? We were honestly not trying. In fact, we are doing just the opposite; unravelling the mystery of Bhagatisation of India. Especially young India. Read our discoveries on Page 12. As usual, let’s hope this issue finds you in good health and spirits.